


Rising to a Challenge

by widowshulk



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Minor Bruce Banner/Tony Stark, Sex Talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2016-01-14
Packaged: 2018-05-13 23:18:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5720746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/widowshulk/pseuds/widowshulk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce has come to the realisation that the Hulk is no longer a risk to his sex life, so he decides it's time for him and Natasha to have the talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rising to a Challenge

**Author's Note:**

> Part of 52 Stories in 52 Weeks  
> ↳ Week 2: A story about rising to a challenge

“I haven’t seen Pepper in a while,” Bruce said as he shut his laptop. “She okay?”

“Busy,” Tony replied as he cleared his desk of all the junk that had built up over the day. “That woman could take over the world and the world would thank her for it.”

Bruce laughed. “I’m sure. Spending time apart… doesn’t it, you know, strain things between you?”

Tony frowned, trying to work out where Bruce was going with this. “Trouble in paradise?”

Bruce’s face flushed an unsettling crimson; he took his glasses off and turned them over in his hands. 

“Do you mean sex?” Tony asked, fighting the urge to tease Bruce.

Bruce nodded, unable to lift his eyes up from his hands. “I can now… Before, the other guy made it impossible, but since, you know… it’s different.”

“So what’s the problem? You’ve done it before, you know the drill.”

“I don’t know if she… if Natasha… wants to.”

“Talking to me won’t do anything.”

Bruce nodded and smiled by way of thanking Tony. 

\--

“… so then Wilson flew after him and took him down mid-air,” Natasha said as she loaded the dishwasher, bringing her story to a close.

“Wow,” Bruce said indifferently, clearing the table.

“What’s up, doc?” Natasha asked with a smirk, hoping the phrasing would lighten his mood a little.

“What?” he asked without so much as a smile.

“You need me to spell it out for you?” Natasha demanded, shutting the dishwasher and joining him at the table.

“No, no. I just… I need to talk to you about something,” Bruce said gently placing his hand on hers. “We should sit.”

“What the fuck is going on, Bruce?” she asked as she followed him to the couch.

“It’s not… it’s nothing bad… nothing like that,” he said sitting down and facing her. He gestured to the space next to him. “Please?”

She sighed and sat before raising her eyebrows at him in anticipation.

He braced himself, took a deep breath, and then blurted out, “It’s about sex.”

Natasha’s body started to shake as she laughed. It only lasted a moment before she regained her composure. She looked at Bruce and his face was nothing but hurt.

“Shit, sorry, but you were being so serious. I thought someone had died or you’d had a code green or something.”

“We’ve never talked about it. I didn’t know how to bring it up.”

“But you want to?”

“Yeah, do you?”

“Sure.”

Bruce smiled and looked down at his hands, which he promptly started to wring. 

“I can now… with Hulk… he wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Hey,” she said, resting her hand on his knee. “Take it easy. You’re so worked up.”

He placed his hand on hers and absentmindedly rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

“I just… You’re a beautiful woman and we’ve been together for a while, but you thought I couldn’t, so I don’t know...” Bruce trailed off, not sure how to finish his thought.

She smiled reassuringly. “I’ve had sex before. For missions or intel – nothing makes a man more chatty than sex – but it was never for me. I never enjoyed it, never wanted it, never felt that attraction for anyone.”

Bruce cleared his throat and mumbled, “That’s what I thought.”

“I wasn’t done.”

“Sorry,” he replied sheepishly.

“I never wanted it until this, until us,” she said, gesturing between the two of them. Bruce’s brow furrowed, but he kept quiet. “I adore you and I have that attraction to you. I’ve never had that with anyone. I’ve never wanted anyone before. Not like this.” Now it was her time to be sheepish. “I assumed you didn’t want to, which is fine.”

“So you’d be okay with no sex?” Bruce asked.

“Yeah, never needed it before.”

“But you’d also be okay with sex?”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

“Thank God for that.” Bruce sighed.

“What?” she asked, a smile dancing on her lips.

He chuckled. “I would really like to have sex with you.”

“At least you’re polite about it,” she teased.

“It doesn’t have to be now,” he said, looking down at their hands. “But someday.”

“Someday,” Natasha replied quietly. A moment passed before she smirked to herself. “Like, after the prom?” she asked in a mocking, girlish tone.

“What?” he asked.

“Will you get us a suite at the Plaza after the prom and cover the room in rose petals?” she continued teasing.

Bruce looked exasperated, so she stopped.

“We can start gently, and ease into the big stuff. How’s that sound?” she asked.

“What d’you-?”

“I’ve seen you work in the lab, I know how good you are with your hands…” she trailed off.

His eyes shot up at her as he realised what she was suggesting. 

“And you’ve seen me dismantle weapons, so you know I’m also good with my hands.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

“As long as you can rise to the challenge, we’re all set.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

“Well, then…” Natasha said, her voice husky.


End file.
